Rival Firms Fight Over Towing Fees In Sunrise

SUNRISE — A monthlong spat over towing fees in the city has gotten personal, rival towing company owners agree.

John Mincieli, owner of American Towing, has consulted his attorney because of what he calls interference by C&C Towing, owned by Chet Lake.

Mincieli said Lake has harassed American Towing employees by arriving at accident scenes and telling motorists they don`t need to be towed.

Lake, who until recently had done almost all towing in the city for 15 years, said his interest is in fair pricing.

Lake said fair pricing has not been the case since American Towing won the city contract in June.

Police Chief Sam Ramputi, who left on an extended vacation Thursday, said he has received many telephone complaints about American Towing rates.

``I called up (Mincieli) and asked him to let me see his billings and he wouldn`t do it,`` Ramputi said. ``My people tell me there are a lot of complaints about his bills being too high.``

Mincieli said he knows of no formal complaint about his bills and therefore he had no reason to show bills to Ramputi.

According to police records, however, two complaints have been filed about American Towing costs in the past two weeks. Anita Hopkins, of the 3900 block of Northwest 35th Terrace, complained after a car driven by her daughter was towed after an accident and the bill came to $65.

In the second incident, Sunrise Police Officer Raymond Brostean sent Ramputi a memorandum that questioned rates quoted by American Towing.

American Towing had been awarded the city`s first towing contract after agreeing to pay the city $31,100 as an annual franchise fee. C&C Towing had offered $20,000 for the franchise fee.

Until June the city had no contract with a towing company and did not collect a franchise fee.

American also promised lower towing rates in its bid for the contract. A car involved in an accident would be towed for $29 by American Towing, compared with $35 by C&C Towing, according to contract proposals. Lake said Mincieli had set his contract up in a way that makes his fees higher than they appear on their face.

While American charges $29 for the tow, if it has to use additional hooks for a more difficult tow a $12.50 charge is added. If it has to clean up at an accident site another $12.50 or more is charged.